God's Just Trying to Get the Juice Out!

My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptation; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

-James 1:2-4

The bible declares that we should count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations. That statement right there contradicts what we do when we fall into divers temptations. We walk around with our heads hanging down and singing nobody knows the trouble I see. The bible says we should rejoice in tests and trials.

In the actual Greek text the word for divers temptations is the word peirasmos, which means different trials, attacks, to put to proof, examine. This is not referring to temptations, because the bible clearly states that God tempts no man with evil or the thoughts to do evil deeds. What this is referring to is the different trials, tests, attacks, and problems that believers encounter on a daily basis.

Verse 3 starts by saying Knowing this. This is something I pray that every believer come to understand. What is this you might ask? This is that every believer at some point in their walk with God is going to have trials of many kinds. This is something we fail to instruct new believers on. We sometime give the impression that once you get saved you will not experience any more problems, and that everything will be rosy. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Sometimes the problems and attacks don’t come hard until you get saved.

Knowing this, your faith will be tried. The trying of your faith worketh patience. Trials test a man’s faith. When I speak of faith, I am talking about a man’s confidence in God. The man who stands true in them proves his faith is sound and genuine. Tests work patience and patience works perfection or maturity in God.